to be more careful, more vigilant.
I had to be on my guard where Messalina’s concerned. I could not afford to let her enchant me again.
I had to do whatever it took to get the job done, and get the heck out. Otherwise, I’d remain stuck forever as Aurelia—a girl so different from me, I’d never be found.
Dacian may hold the number one spot on my “Cute” list, but I was there to do a job—and I was determined to see it through.
I flicked a hand through my curls, not wanting him to catch on to my sudden change in mood, not wanting him to guess I’d just sprung free of the spell. “Oh, well, I guess I must’ve missed him—what a shame!” I said, rearranging my expression to appear a tiny bit flustered. “Though I think I’ll just make my way down real quick so I can have a look. Do you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
Dacian gaped, looked at me like I was stark-raving crazy. “The ludus ?” He gasped. “Why, you can’t go down there—it’s dangerous!” He looked from me to the space just behind me, the space just to the right of me. Without even realizing it, he’d just answered my question, told me exactly which way to head.
“Oh, I suppose you’re right.” I giggled into my hand, and waved the thought away as though I’d already dismissed it. “Though I do need to find Messalina, so just give me a moment, and I’ll find my way back—” I looked at him, looked
right into his eyes, adding, “Promise you’ll wait for me here?” Spinning on my heel before he had a chance to reply and heading in the direction he’d unknowingly sent me.
Aware of his voice calling out from behind me, letting me know he wasn’t the least bit fooled by my story. “You really shouldn’t go there, Aurelia,” he said. “And believe me, you will not find Messalina there either. She is forbidden to go anywhere near the ludus —her uncle has made sure of that!”
A warning I was quick to ignore, already making my way down the stairs as I thought: That’s what you think, Dacian . That’s what you think.
9
I tore down the stairs, moving swiftly, quietly, hoping to gather as much information as I possibly could, knowing full well that Messalina couldn’t be trusted—whatever she chose to reveal was carefully calculated and doled out in bits. She had an agenda—of that I was sure. And though I had no idea what that agenda might be, I did know that she didn’t just control her world—she also controlled everyone in it—including, for a while anyway, me.
Pausing for a moment when my feet hit the landing, I stared down a long corridor crowded with big, hulking gladiator ghosts caught up in the same, lame routine as the last time I saw them. Their fists swinging wildly, their bodies slamming into each other—I swerved my way around them, clapped a hand over my nose to block out the stench, and kept going.
My eyes darting wildly, searching for signs of Messalina
or Theocoles—either would do—convinced that whichever one I found first, would lead me right to the other. I moved among the row of cells, rising up on my toes in an effort to peer into the small square openings marking the top, though it wasn’t until I reached the second to last one that I saw them. Messalina looking so pristine, so perfectly put together and groomed, she reminded me of a small, delicate, porcelain doll that somehow wound up in a landfill—as a handsome, tunic-clad Theocoles stood just before her—their bodies a mere razor’s width apart as they gazed longingly at each other.
I snapped my mouth shut before I could gasp, or squeal, or do anything that might alert them to my presence, gaping in wonder at the vision before me—the sight of it giving this Soul Catch a whole new meaning.
Despite their vast and varied differences in stature and class—despite their belonging to two different worlds—Theocoles and Messalina had been in love. And from what I could see, they still were.
But just when I thought I
I had to be on my guard where Messalina’s concerned. I could not afford to let her enchant me again.
I had to do whatever it took to get the job done, and get the heck out. Otherwise, I’d remain stuck forever as Aurelia—a girl so different from me, I’d never be found.
Dacian may hold the number one spot on my “Cute” list, but I was there to do a job—and I was determined to see it through.
I flicked a hand through my curls, not wanting him to catch on to my sudden change in mood, not wanting him to guess I’d just sprung free of the spell. “Oh, well, I guess I must’ve missed him—what a shame!” I said, rearranging my expression to appear a tiny bit flustered. “Though I think I’ll just make my way down real quick so I can have a look. Do you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
Dacian gaped, looked at me like I was stark-raving crazy. “The ludus ?” He gasped. “Why, you can’t go down there—it’s dangerous!” He looked from me to the space just behind me, the space just to the right of me. Without even realizing it, he’d just answered my question, told me exactly which way to head.
“Oh, I suppose you’re right.” I giggled into my hand, and waved the thought away as though I’d already dismissed it. “Though I do need to find Messalina, so just give me a moment, and I’ll find my way back—” I looked at him, looked
right into his eyes, adding, “Promise you’ll wait for me here?” Spinning on my heel before he had a chance to reply and heading in the direction he’d unknowingly sent me.
Aware of his voice calling out from behind me, letting me know he wasn’t the least bit fooled by my story. “You really shouldn’t go there, Aurelia,” he said. “And believe me, you will not find Messalina there either. She is forbidden to go anywhere near the ludus —her uncle has made sure of that!”
A warning I was quick to ignore, already making my way down the stairs as I thought: That’s what you think, Dacian . That’s what you think.
9
I tore down the stairs, moving swiftly, quietly, hoping to gather as much information as I possibly could, knowing full well that Messalina couldn’t be trusted—whatever she chose to reveal was carefully calculated and doled out in bits. She had an agenda—of that I was sure. And though I had no idea what that agenda might be, I did know that she didn’t just control her world—she also controlled everyone in it—including, for a while anyway, me.
Pausing for a moment when my feet hit the landing, I stared down a long corridor crowded with big, hulking gladiator ghosts caught up in the same, lame routine as the last time I saw them. Their fists swinging wildly, their bodies slamming into each other—I swerved my way around them, clapped a hand over my nose to block out the stench, and kept going.
My eyes darting wildly, searching for signs of Messalina
or Theocoles—either would do—convinced that whichever one I found first, would lead me right to the other. I moved among the row of cells, rising up on my toes in an effort to peer into the small square openings marking the top, though it wasn’t until I reached the second to last one that I saw them. Messalina looking so pristine, so perfectly put together and groomed, she reminded me of a small, delicate, porcelain doll that somehow wound up in a landfill—as a handsome, tunic-clad Theocoles stood just before her—their bodies a mere razor’s width apart as they gazed longingly at each other.
I snapped my mouth shut before I could gasp, or squeal, or do anything that might alert them to my presence, gaping in wonder at the vision before me—the sight of it giving this Soul Catch a whole new meaning.
Despite their vast and varied differences in stature and class—despite their belonging to two different worlds—Theocoles and Messalina had been in love. And from what I could see, they still were.
But just when I thought I
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